Valve.



F. E. LIETZ J. REIMERS. VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I6. |914. 1,149,845. Patented Aug. 1o, 1915.

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E519( 'E In?? )Rt/Mis 7 0 11, e rs VUNITED STATES T OFFICE.

FELIX E. LIETZ AND JOHN REIMERS, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed March 16, 1914. Serial No. 824,842.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FELIX E. Lrn'rz and J oHN REIMEns, citizens of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves, of which the following is a specilication.

Our invention relates to improvements in valves, and more particularly to automatic safety gas valves; its primary object being the provision of a valve of this type which will automatically shut-olf the supply of gas when the pressure becomes dangerously low and may cause the gas burners to become extinguished, which under ordinary conditions would permit the gas to again flow to the burners when the pressure 1s increased, thereby causing the escape of gas, which would cause asphyxiation of the occupants of the building if such an occurrence took place during the night.

A further object of our invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive valve for this purpose which can be easily regulated and which will effectively shut-off the supply of gas, either when the pressure is exceedingly low or when it ceases to entirely flow, as may be desired; this being controlled entirely by the weight of a single part of our invention.

With these and other objects in view, our invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of a valve with a gas inlet-pipe and a gas outletpipe applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line y-y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line a-a,

Fig. 1.

n carrying out our invention we provide a casing 4 which is preferably of cylindrical formation in cross-section and has a rounded lower end 5 and an open upper end. This casing is constructed in two parts 7 8, having outstanding flanges 9, 10, respectively, through which are passed securing screws 1l. The joint thus formed between the two parts of the casing may be provided with any suitable packing means, or any other form of connection between these parts may be resorted to, as we believe various forms of connections to be suitable for the purpose intended, it being merely necessary that the joint be gas tight.

In the lower part 8 of the casing, a diaphragm 12 is arranged which has a central opening or passage 13 {iared at its upper portion to provide a valve seat 14, and rising from the rounded wall at the bottom of the casing is a guide boss 15, for a purpose to presently appear. The lower part 8 of the casing has a lateral tube 16 which is externally threaded to receive a socket 17 in which a gas inlet-pipe 18 is threaded, and in the tube 16, which may be termed an inlet-tube, a strainer thimble 19 is inserted which is preferably formed of fine wire gauze and prevents the admission into the casing of any matter likely to become seated against the valve seat 14 and prevent the proper seating of the valve, to be hereinafter described.

Formed in the rounded lower end of the casing part 8 is a drain opening 20 in which is threaded a cock 21 normally closed, but which may be opened to drain from the casing any matter that may accumulate therein, or to permit the thorough cleansing of the casing by introduction through its open top of water or other liquid.

The upper part 7 of the casing has two cross bars 22, 23 formed therein, the lower of these having a guide opening 24 therein whose axis is coincident with that of the valve seat, and in this guide opening is situated for guiding movement the upper end portion of a valve stem 25 which has its lower end guided in the guide boss 15. This valve stem has formed thereon or secured thereto, as may be found lnost desirable, a downwardy tapering valve 26 adapted for seating engagement with the valve seat 14 in the diaphragm 12. Said valve and valve stem are preferably made of aluminum or other suitable light material so that the pressure of the gas entering the inlet tube 16 will raise the same and retain it in elevated position to permit the gas to pass through the opening or passage 13 and enter the portion-of the casing above the dia.- phragm 12, from which it escapes through an outlet tube 27 having connected thereto an outlet gas-pipe 28 by means of a socket 29. The inlet gas-pipe 18 and the outlet gas-pipe 28 open into the casing at opposite sides of the diaphragm and constitute the main gas supply pipe in which our improved valve may be said to be introduced.

W'hen the gas pressure becomes low, the gas valve 26 and its stem will gravitate and cause the opening or passage 13 in the diaphragm to be closed, the pressure at which said valve closes being determined by the weight of said valve, which may be suiciently light, if desired, that the pressure at the burner will be insuilicient to keep the gas burning. The weight of the valve, however, is preferably such that when the gas pressure becomes sulicientlv low that a further slight reduction of the same would cause the gas to become extinguished, the gas valve will close.

`When the valve is closed, regardless of the gas pressure it may be constructed for, it is oui` intention to provide practicable means to retain the same is closed position so that when the pressure again rises the valve cannot open and permit the gas t o escape from the burner unlighted. Foi` this purpose we provide a lock dog 30 which is arranged directly over the valve stem 26 and conveniently pivoted to the upper cross bar 22, as at 31. Said lock dog normally rests against the side of the valve stem and when the valve lowers, it swings over the upper end of said stein and prevents the same from rising. In order to prevent this lock dog swinging beyond the valve stem, the latter has an upwardly extending teat or lip 32 which serves as a stop for the dog in its swinging movement, and for this purpose said teat is arranged at one side of the axis of said rod so that the lock-dog may bear against the upper end of said stein While in contact with said teat.

In Fig. l, the lock dog 30 is shown in dotted lines in locking position and arranged on the casing in the plane of the same is a stufling box 33 through which is passed a push pin 34: having a handle 35 at its outer end for conveniently manipulating the same and a stop collar 3G at a point within the casing to prevent the complete withdrawal of the pin from said casing. In the position in which the pin is shown, the lock dog has freedom in action so that when the gas pressure reaches the predetermined point at which the valve is to close, said dog will automatically swing into engagement with the upper end of the valve stem and prevent the valve from becoming unseated.

When it is desired to permit the gas valve to become unseated through the action of the gas pressure against the underside thereof, it is simply necessary to force the push pin 34 inwardly to bring the inner end thereof against the lock dog, which action forces the latter out of engagement with the valve stem, thus permitting the valve and its stem freedom in action.

It is to be noted that the valve 26 is hollowed out and has its lower end open, this being for the purpose of reducing the weight of the same and also enlarging the surface against which the gas exerts its pressure, the inner Wall face 37 of the valve being somewhat larger by reason of this than the diameter of the same at its lower end.

Although we have herein stated that the upper end of the valve casing is open, it is clear that to prevent the escape of gas this open end must be closed, and for this purpose the casing is exteriorly threaded for engagement therewith of a flanged collar 38 which serves to retain against the upper edge of the casing a glass cover 39 between which and the said edge a rubber gasket or other packing 40 is interposed. This glass cover we believe to be desirable so that the interior of the valve will be exposed to view and its operation more easily controlled, but it is apparent that while this may be desirable it nevertheless is unnecessary to the proper action of the device and any other cover may be substituted for the glass cover, or a head integral with casing may be employed.

-It is to be understood that slight changes in construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is,-

1. A device of the character described, comprising a casing formed of upper and lower connected parts, said lower part having a diaphragm with a gas passage and a gas inlet beneath said diaphragm, said upper part having two cross bars and a gas outlet, a gas valve having a valve stem guided at its lower end in said lower part and its upper end in one of said cross bars, said gas valve being adapted to close said gas passage when the gas pressure reaches a predetermined low point, a lock dog pivotally secured to the other cross bar and adapted to swing against the upper end of said valve stem when the gas valve is closed, and means adapted for engagement with said lock dog to swing the same out of engagement with said valve stem.

2. A device of the character described,

comprising a casing having a diaphragm with a gas passage and a gas inlet and gas outlet at opposite sides of said diaphragm, a valve adapted to close said gas passage having a valve stem provided with an upwardly projecting teat at its upper end, said teat being arranged off center and said valve stem being guided Within said casing, a lock dog pivotally secured above said valve stein and adapted to swing in contact with the upper end thereof and a. einst said up- In testimony whereof we ax our signalardy pnjectnlg lszt, an adpushhpin 1E tures in presence of two Witnesses.

t ep aneo sai oc og exten in t roug the wall of seid casing and havg a stop collar to prevent Withdrawal of said push pin from said casing, said push pin being Witnesses:

adapted to swing said lock dog out of en- FRED SAUSLE,

gagement With said valve stem. J osEPH A. SCHWENDLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtamed for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Wshington. 1)A 0." 

